A short history of nasal strips: 8 milestones

The nasal strip is a young invention. An inventor with a stuffy nose filed the first patent application in 1991, FDA cleared the strip in 1993, and football players made it famous on national television in the 1994 season. Since then, research has shown what strips do well, which is opening the front of the nose, and where their limits are.

Here are eight milestones that took the nasal strip from one inventor's idea to a nightly habit for snorers and stuffy sleepers.

Invention and approval

An inventor with a blocked nose files a patent (1991)

The nasal strip started with one person's bad nights. According to a company history from the International Directory of Company Histories, Bruce Johnson was a mechanical designer in the electronics industry who started a consulting business after being laid off. He spent the next three years working on a spring-loaded adhesive strip that would stretch across the outside of his nose, lift his nostrils gently and let him sleep. The Inventors Network says he was looking for a fix for the deviated septum that bothered him throughout his life.

Patent records show the earliest application in the family was filed on June 10, 1991. One of the resulting patents, granted on December 19, 1995, describes a dilator with resilient bands in an adhesive strip, assigned to Johnson's company, Creative Integration and Design.

A Minnesota company licenses it (1992)

Johnson needed a partner to make and sell the strip. The company history says that in February 1992, CNS, Inc. announced a licensing agreement with Creative Integration and Design for the nasal dilator.

FDA clears the strip (1993)

FDA's 510(k) records show CNS, Inc., then based in Chanhassen, Minnesota, submitted the strip under the name Breathe Right on March 13, 1992. FDA found it substantially equivalent to devices already on the market and cleared it on October 7, 1993.

The company history says CNS had shown the strip improved nasal breathing by reducing air resistance an average of 31 percent. In its first year on sale, the strip was sold mainly around the Twin Cities.

Going mainstream

Football players make it famous (1994 to 1995)

The breakthrough came from sport. In October 1994, according to the company history, CNS sent a letter and a case of strips to every NFL team trainer. Herschel Walker wore one in a game, and San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice, who had chronic nasal congestion, then wore one on a nationally televised Monday Night Football broadcast. About eight players in Super Bowl XXIX, in January 1995, wore the strip.

The effect on sales was dramatic. The same history puts sales at 2.8 million dollars in 1994, 48.5 million in 1995 and 85.9 million in 1996.

Snoring becomes a selling point (1995)

Athletes made strips visible, but snoring made them part of bedtime. The company history says FDA approved marketing the strip for reducing or eliminating snoring in November 1995, and that clinical studies had shown 75 percent of participants snored less often and less loudly with it. FDA's 510(k) database lists three more Breathe Right nasal strip clearances between October 1995 and May 1996.

Snoring is still one of the main reasons people try strips. Our article on how nasal strips work explains why opening the front of the nose can quiet some snorers.

FDA defines the device category (1999)

As more strips and similar devices came out, FDA wrote a formal definition. The rule, published on March 8, 1999 and now at 21 CFR 874.3900, defines a nasal dilator as a device that provides temporary relief from breathing difficulties caused by structural problems or temporary nasal congestion. It describes external dilators as using adhesive and spring material to pull the nostrils open, and internal ones as metal or plastic devices that press them open from inside.

The rule put nasal dilators in Class I, the lowest-risk group, and exempted them from premarket notification. If you're comparing the two styles, see nasal strips vs. nasal dilators.

Research and the modern era

Early studies test the claims (1996 to 2000)

Researchers soon put strips to the test. A 1996 double-blind study gave pregnant women with nighttime congestion either a spring-loaded strip or a placebo strip without a spring. Answers to 8 of 10 diary questions favored the real strip, and users rated their breathing as easier. A 1997 study in Laryngoscope found the strip significantly increased the area of the nasal valve in 53 athletes, and in 30 of them it lowered perceived exertion and heart rate during submaximal exercise compared with a placebo.

Snoring studies followed. In a 1998 sleep lab study of 30 habitual snorers, maximum snoring intensity fell on the second night with the strip in 22 of them. The authors noted that 17 of the 30 needed some time to get used to the strip, after which they said they breathed easily and woke feeling rested. The only side effect reported was one person who briefly felt the urge to sneeze. A 2000 randomized trial of 12 people with chronic rhinitis found strips cut snoring frequency from 258 to 173 snores an hour compared with placebo, though snoring loudness and sleep quality didn't change. A 2014 review summed up decades of work by saying external dilators are simple, noninvasive, painless and affordable, and carry minimal risk to the user. Our pages on nasal strips during pregnancy and nasal strips for exercise cover these areas in more depth.

A global brand and a clearer picture (2006 onward)

In October 2006, GlaxoSmithKline agreed to buy CNS for about 566 million dollars, and BioSpace later reported the acquisition was complete. PharmaTimes reported at the time that the strips were sold in 27 countries.

The research has also matured. A 2016 meta-analysis found nasal dilators improve nasal breathing but haven't shown improvement in obstructive sleep apnea, so strips aren't a sleep apnea treatment. A 2018 randomized trial of 59 people with chronic nighttime congestion found real strips beat placebo strips on satisfaction with sleep after a week, and all the strips were well tolerated. A 2020 meta-analysis of 19 studies found no improvement in maximal oxygen uptake, heart rate or perceived exertion during exercise in healthy people. That picture fits what strips are designed for. They help air move through the front of the nose, which is useful when that's where the problem is. Our article on whether nasal strips improve sleep goes through the sleep trials.

Where do nasal strips fit today?

Nasal strips today are close to where they started. Three decades on, the basic design is close to Johnson's original idea: flexible bands in an adhesive strip that lift the sides of the nose. Strips work on the nasal valve near the front of the nose, which the 2014 review says they widen, so they suit people whose narrowing is there, as in nasal valve collapse. They also pair naturally with mouth tape for people who want to sleep with their mouths closed. Our guide on how to apply nasal strips covers placement, and you'll find more in our nasal strip articles. If your nose feels blocked most nights, the nose test is a good place to start.

If you want to try nasal strips, our pick is TitanAir Nasal Strips.

Read next

• How nasal strips work, and when they help most
• Mouth tape vs. nasal strips
• Why nasal strips don't work for some people

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.